The Artist and The Fox
by keliathewolf
Summary: Naruto is exiled from Konoha and decides to join the Akatsuki, ending up in a very... sticky situation! Pairing: NaruDei Warnings: AU, M-Preg, Yaoi, possible future mature themes. Read at your own risk.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, super nervous here: it's my first Naruto fanfiction and I always get like this when I start a new fanfiction from a new thing. Ok, I've been really into NaruDei lately and I wanted to write a Fanfiction about them before I lose my interest.**

**Just so you know: This is M-Preg, Naruto is the dominant one (seme, or so I'm told) and Deidara is the submissive one (uke, I think, correct me if I'm wrong). Also, since this actually follows Naruto's story and not Sasuke's, I'm giving an AU warning...**

**Also, just a quick side-note: Naruto is the first and only thing (out of books, anime, tv series and movies) that made me a Yaoi fan. Yes, I am a proud Yaoi fan and it's all due to the fact that Naruto has so little females that you can pair with hot guys, so we have to use dudes...**

**On to the story!**

**Oh, about the timeline: This is somewhat early shippuuden. Sasori is gone but Sai hasn't joined the team yet and neither has Yamato.**

**Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Naruto.**

_**Chapter I (New Member)**_

The council of Konoha was divided in two sections. The important clans and the not so important ones. Examples of important clans would be, for example, the Uchiha clan (of course, those pompous bastards) and the not so important... let's say... the Hatake (not that I don't love Kakashi, I just think he is a minor clan).

They usually fought among themselves and sulked in the corner when the other won, but, for once in their lives, the council was together on something.

They were hell bent on exiling Naruto Uzumaki, for the fact that the demon bastard (their words, not mine) had once again failed to retrieve the brainless bastard Uchiha (my words, they used something like _precious_) to their village.

So, like the cold-hearted bastards they were (all except the Hatake, who I love very much), they went behind the Hokage's back and found a loophole in the law that allowed them to banish someone without the Hokage's permission.

So that's why we could find, on a completely normal day in Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno and Kakashi Hatake (who had left Pakkun to be the head clan for that time) standing in front of the council, completely clueless as to why they were there.

After a long pause, Kakashi finally gathered the courage to ask.

"What exactly are we doing here?" The Uchiha Head Clan (who turned out to be a _very_ distant cousin of Sasuke's father) glared at the daring Hatake.

"Well, Kakashi Hatake, we are here to condemn Naruto Uzumaki to exile." Everyone stood speechless at that statement. Kakashi blinked in utter surprise.

The first one to speak was Sakura. The pink haired girl opened her mouth, then closed it again and then opened it.

"What the heck are you talking about?" She chocked out "Naruto has done nothing to deserve that!"

The council Head, who was actually Danzo, chuckled somewhat evilly.

"We do not have the slightest care. You cannot expect us to accept a boy marked as a demon inside our village"

"I didn't know you were suddenly the Hokage" Kakashi's voice was not indifferent anymore. The rage present in the loud tone would be heartwarming, had Naruto been paying any attention to what was being said.

He had lost any kind of sensation when he had heard the word 'exile'. An exiled shinobi could not become the Hokage. An exiled shinobi was just that... worthless.

He coughed, stopping both Sakura and Kakashi in the middle of their protests and smiled weakly, to the best of his ability.

"When do I have to leave?" He asked, ignoring the shocked stares he was being given by his teammates.

"You have one hour to pack anything you wish to take with you before you meet an escort at the gate. Goodbye Naruto Uzumaki" With a final nod, Naruto ran out of the office. He felt a strange feeling rising in his chest. He shook his head furiously. It wasn't defeat. It couldn't be.

He didn't even bother to enter his apartment by the door. Concentrating all the strength he could in his body, he jumped right through the window and then looked around.

His apartment was small. Well, he wouldn't have to live there anymore. He quietly collected his clothes: two spares of the same bright orange jumpsuit and his weapons: two kunai and a pouch full of shuriken. He wouldn't need anything else. After a brief moment of thought, he decided to take a picture of Team Seven with him too.

Stuffing everything inside a small bag, Naruto exited his old apartment through the door and took some time locking the door. It would be the last time he did that, he realized. With one last sigh, he placed the key in the floor by his door and turned his back on the apartment.

Later, Naruto would say that he could have taken a lot more stuff that he liked, and that he somewhat regretted not doing it, but in the present moment, the only thing the blond haired jinchuuriki could focus on was walking.

It was simple – one step after another. It was natural, just like breathing. But in that moment, walking away from the very spot he had made the decision to be Hokage on, was making it hard to breath and think.

He forced some air into his lungs and carefully placed his right foot in front of him, followed by his left and then his right foot again. It was just like a cycle: right, left and repeat.

Closing his eyes in order to focus on the current task, Naruto walked away from the apartment. He didn't need to open his bright blue eyes to know the way – he walked it every day when he went to training.

This time, it was different. He stopped when he walked outside of the building that hosted his old home and looked right. If he followed that path, he would end up in the training grounds. He could pretend it was normal day and then wait for the ANBU to come and force him out of the village.

His blue eyes turned to the left. The gate was in that way. He could go peacefully, as if leaving the village was his own decision. The temptation seemed too great to resist, but Naruto did anyway. He was still a shinobi from the Leaf Village and he would act as such until he was out of the gates and out of everyone's life.

He couldn't lie to himself. He knew his friends – his closest friends, at least – didn't want him to go. He knew Tsunade would never agree with that and that Jiraiya would be devastated, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

He had watched as they turned their heads away from the Sasuke problem, frowning whenever his name was spoken or glaring at whoever suggested that they had not tried hard enough. He had also watched as, slowly, they seemed to regret trying to bring him back at all.

He would be treated the same way. They would miss him but after a while, they would give up and just be like everyone else – uncaring and cruel.

Sighing once, he started to walk to the left. His objective was to reach the gate without breaking down. He made it.

The Kyuubi host was surprised to see what seemed to be a rather large crowd near the gate. All of the crowd was composed by his friends – The Rookie 9 and their senseis, Iruka, Tsunade and Jiraiya and the ramen shop guy (whose name escapes me at the moment).

His breath got caught at his throat as he forced tears down. He would not break down. Forcing a smile, he bounced to meet the crowd.

He was hugged, kissed in the cheeks, high fived and everything he could think of. Lee was in tears, as was Gai, and this time it wasn't because of the youth. Neji smiled at him and Hinata didn't stutter when she told him to be safe. Tenten offered him a kunai. Kiba and Shino both slapped him on the back with glistening eyes and smiled weakly.

Sakura ran up to him and hugged him. Naruto closed his eyes – he wanted to relinquish in her hug – and took a deep breath, inhaling Sakura's scent.

"I'll miss you" She whispered, letting go of him. Naruto smiled sadly.

"Yeah, I'll miss you too, Sakura" Was the best he could offer.

He found himself standing in front of Kakashi for a while – neither knew what to say or how to act – until Shikamaru shouted that their attitude was being 'troublesome' and pushed them into a hug.

Kakashi awkwardly patted Naruto in the back.

"Ok, you take care" He warned, stepping back. Naruto beamed.

"I will" He promised.

"Your escort will now lead to your destination. From there, you can go wherever you please as long as it isn't here" Said an ANBU, with a mask of a raging tiger. The blonde exiled boy nodded once before turning to face the large gates that stood in front of him.

He murmured one hushed prayer to all of the people he would leave behind, asking Kami to watch over them and remind them of him. He smiled when he was finished. Yes, they would be safe.

The boy then turned to contemplate Konoha for the last time. He prevented the tears from escaping his eyes at the thought of exile and managed a bright smile – as bright as he could manage.

"Goodbye, Konoha" He said, turning his back on the village without anymore tears or emotions.

"Goodbye, guys" He bid farewell to his friends too as he took one hesitant step towards the gates. Just before he left he spun around to be pulled into a hug by his perverted teacher – Jiraiya.

"I'll miss you, brat. I wish Tsunade and I could revert this crap" He sighed, letting go of his student. Naruto felt his throat close.

"Yeah, don't worry about it, Pervy Sage! I'll be just fine!" He tried to be cheery, but the words seemed foreign to his ears and they left a bitter taste in their wake. Nonetheless, Naruto smiled cheekily and turned towards Tsunade.

"Now you take care, Granny Tsunade! Don't drink too much sake" For once, Tsunade didn't make a nasty remark on Naruto's title for her. She would have yelled that she was not old and that he was a brat had the situation been different.

Being as it was, she just nodded and looked away. Naruto smiled once more, feeling his facial muscles stretch and ache from misuse. It was not the time to smile, but to let emotions flow at their fullest.

Of course he would have none of that.

Once more did Naruto turn to the gates, now open and awaiting him. He sighed once – all the emotion he would share inside the village – and proceeded into walking through them with confident strides. The ANBU followed suit, each masked man taking his place in the ring that surrounded Naruto – more of a precaution then real concern for his safety – and disappeared, along with Konoha's Most Unpredictable Knuckleheaded Ninja.

* * *

><p>They had been running for quite a long time, leaping from tree to tree at a confusing speed that turned everything blurred, when Naruto suddenly smelled something he should not be smelling at that time.<p>

Was that _nail polish_?

With a low gagging noise at the slightly chemical odor that emanated from god knew what, Naruto came to a halt, dragging the six ANBU with him.

"Is there a problem?" Asked one of the masked men, undoubtedly with a raised eyebrow hidden behind a nasty dragon mask. Naruto shook his head slowly, trying to focus on his surroundings.

"What are you doing?" Asked another man, with the slightest irritation tainting his rough voice as he moved to a more comfortable position. Naruto frowned.

"I'm trying to focus here! Be quiet" He ordered, with such authority that the ANBU went silent at his voice. No one dared speak – some didn't even breath – as Naruto carefully lifted his nose and sniffed the air. His eyes opened suddenly.

"To your right!" He yelled, jumping forward to avoid a kunai throw swiftly at him. The ANBU growled in unison as they readied themselves for combat. Tiger stepped forward and performed a couple hand seals. Naruto recognized them and nodded with a smirk of satisfaction.

"Fire Style! Fire Ball Jutsu!" The man growled, arching his finger in front of his mouth and expelling all the air he had in his lungs. Said air soon turned into a massive ball of fire that swirled and lunged forward, burning a few trees in the process.

But Naruto could still smell nail polish in the air.

"Guys, they're not done yet!" He screamed, but it was too late. Two cloaked figures jumped from the cover of the trees at stunning speed, one tall and shark-like throwing himself at two of the ANBU at full speed, knocking both men down.

The other one, with a face so much like a younger relative of his, landed in front of the four ANBU that were left and narrowed his crimson eyes dangerously.

"If you hand the boy to us willingly, we will not hurt you" He spoke in a deep and somewhat enraging voice. It was completely devoid of emotion, and it was unnerving Naruto.

The ANBU seemed to be pondering on the offer for a moment, taking a step back and relaxing their stances. One of them – with a tiger mask – turned to look at his two fallen comrades, who moaned as Kisame stomped on them, before turning back to Itachi.

"We will accept your offer" Naruto gaped at him, utterly speechless. They were really going to offer him to the Akatsuki... Then again, it made perfect sense, in a sickeningly flawless logic. They didn't like him and were most likely under Danzo's orders to dispose of him. That, however, would not only dishonor them as it would also put Danzo in an extremely delicate position within Konoha.

To hand him over to the enemy having two men injured to prove that they were indeed attacked and hadn't just sold the boy was an opportunity made in heaven.

Itachi nodded once before motioning for Kisame to let go of the two fallen men. The shark-like man grinned before jumping off after one last kick to the spine of the man he was currently standing on and joining Itachi in the center of the clearing they were in.

The ANBU retreated, then, kicking Naruto towards the two expectant Akatsuki members and vanishing from sight.

The blond demon vessel turned to the two men standing in front of him and sighed.

"Well, this sucked. Pretty bad" He commented, picking up the bag that had fallen from his back during the fight. Itachi raised a flawless eyebrow.

Naruto then started walking in the direction the two Akatsuki members had come from, ignoring their shocked stares burning holes on his back. With one annoyed glare at the two men, he sighed.

"Are you two coming or what?" He asked, pouting a little in irritation "I can't wait all day, you know?"

"You're... You're coming willingly?" Kisame stuttered, with a look of utter confusion as Itachi just shrugged and moved as to not fall behind the blonde.

Naruto threw him a bored look.

"No. This is all part of a super duper awesome secret plan in which I was NOT banished from the village and I intent on killing you alone, with no reinforcements, all at the same time, with my hands behind my back and my eyes closed" He explained patiently, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Kisame narrowed his eyes.

"You don't have to be an ass. If you're coming willingly, then the better for us" The shark man replied, frowning deeply.

"Oh, turn that frown upside down, will you?" Naruto pouted, mimicking an overly concerned mother he had seen on the village one day and turning his voice into an annoying high pitch "A smile makes you so much more handsome!" He cried out, reaching out to pinch Kisame in the cheek. The blue skinned man didn't react, preferring the apathy of pure shock.

Itachi snickered in a very out-of-character way that made Naruto frown.

"You should follow your own advice" Itachi commented, pinching Naruto's cheek and drawing a yelp from the offended boy.

"And you should kill your mother for giving birth to something as ugly as you... Oh wait! You already did, didn't you?" He growled, annoyed to no end. Regardless of his brave act, Naruto's breath itched as he feared he had crossed over the line.

Turns out he didn't. Itachi gave another snicker.

"That's the best comeback you've got? You're all messed up" He stated plainly, coal eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Your face is all messed up" Naruto retorted, shooting Kisame a look. The shark man was shaking from barely contained laughter and looked oddly terrifying.

"At least I don't have whiskers like _someone_" The Uchiha teased further.

"No, you don't. You have huge lines that look like wrinkles" Naruto shot back. Itachi's eyes narrowed.

"Shut up. I was born with them" He growled.

"Oh, I see. So that's your weak spot. Afraid of growing old like normal people, all mighty Uchiha?" Naruto questioned, smirking evilly.

"That's not it" Itachi stammered, once again regaining his calm and composed demeanor. Naruto snorted.

"Itachi is old! Itachi is growing old!" The boy sang, soon being joined by Kisame, who took up on the opportunity to tease his partner.

"Shut up, both of you. Naruto, I have some questions for you" The Uchiha growled, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Never had anyone gotten under his skin so quickly before. Then again, no one ever bothered. No one cared. He bit back a bitter laugh.

"What is it?" Naruto drawled, ignoring the growing discomfort provoked by his aching feet.

"Why are you coming with us willingly?"

"Because I have no better stuff to do with my life" The Uzumaki responded before taking the question seriously. Honestly, he had no idea of why he had suddenly decided to follow his two most dangerous enemies "I guess I just find no better reason to live" He explained "I mean, I was banished from the very village I swore to protect and betrayed by some nameless and faceless guys who were cowards to the very core of their being"

Itachi and Kisame listened in silence as the tension grew inside of Naruto.

"I mean, I didn't even do anything wrong! They're just angry that I failed to bring their _precious_ Sasuke back and..." He trailed off, finally realizing who he was talking to. He narrowed his eyes "Not to offend you or anything, but your brother is an ass"

Itachi, who had stopped breathing at some point, released the breath he didn't know he was holding in and nodded carefully.

"I know. That's why I didn't kill him" He explained.

"Of course. Because that makes _perfect_ sense" The sarcasm was back into Naruto's voice. Itachi glared at him, feeling strangely more talkative. It could have been that special ability of Naruto's doing its magic, he wondered.

"Ok, so the sentence was a bit messed up, so what? Who are you, the Logic Police?" He snapped, glaring at the blond, who grinned.

"The Captain of the Logic Police" He confirmed, puffing out his chest in mock pride. The Uchiha sighed.

"Hey" Kisame called out "How come you two are just talking like you're some old friends? Itachi doesn't talk. Ever. Who are you and what have you done with my partner?" He asked, letting a sweet taste of mockery enter his voice.

Itachi glared at him.

"Are you jealous?" He asked innocently, smirking when Kisame scowled.

"Of course not! But seriously, what the crap?" He exclaimed, frowning. Naruto grinned at him.

"I have the special ability to make anyone become a friend of mine!" He boasted proudly, shrugging "Besides, as I was telling you before, my reasons for following you to the Akatsuki were the hopes of perhaps joining you?" The last statement was nothing but a question and Itachi narrowed his eyes.

"If you prove to be a useful member of society for once, then maybe Leader will consider keeping you alive a little longer" The older Uchiha smirked when Naruto scowled at his concealed insult.

"Very funny, old guy" The blonde grinned at Itachi's facial expression of rage at that moment "But really, I would like to join you"

Kisame was about to say something when Itachi suddenly came to a halt. The Sharingan user glared at Naruto before returning to his impartial facial expression.

"We're here" He announced.

* * *

><p>Deidara was having a bad day, to say the least. He woke up as usual and wandered about the hideout, vaguely noticing that Itachi and Kisame were not around, finally deciding to go to <em>that<em> place.

He sighed as he found himself in front of _his_ room. The blonde artist struggled to keep the tears in and ignored a fit of insensitive snickers from Hidan, who was casually walking by. The others thought he and Sasori were partners in more ways than one and, in some sort of twisted version of reality, they were. They were best friends, the sort of ones that seem to be connected by strong cables.

They were not, however, lovers. And was it really so wrong he missed one of the only guys that truly understood him? The bomber shook his head sadly, laughing bitterly. He was only nineteen. How did they expect him to behave? Deidara began to walk away from the untouched door, preferring not to enter.

He honestly didn't feel like dealing with the painful throb his heart gave.

He made it to the kitchen, keeping in the slight gasps for air that were slowly trying to overtake him. There were some times when he felt like that – incapable of breathing – and he knew what to do.

The blonde closed his eyes, drawing very slow breaths as to calm himself. There was no need for a panic attack. Everything was going to be fine, everything was...

Not fine.

A slight tremble was all that warned the artist before his shoulders slumped and he started crying hysterically. Now mind you, Deidara was not by any means weak or overly emotional, but he was – as the shrink Pein had taken him to after verifying some changes in the blonde – suffering from Survivor's Guilt.

When one survived, they started to wish it had been them instead of the others, which often led to panic attacks.

It was in that state he was, near the hideout's kitchen, when he heard the voices. One of them sounded strangely like Kisame – maybe the two of them had already completed their mission? – And was growling nonsense about not being a shark.

To whom he was talking, Deidara had no idea. Then, he heard the voice of no other than... Itachi Uchiha? Astonishment colored Deidara's tear stained face. The Uchiha didn't talk. Ever. The man was always silent, resigning himself to playing shogi with Kisame or reminisce about his days at the village.

Deidara was pretty sure he cut himself at night.

It was the third voice – as if the first two weren't alarming on their own – that really shocked Deidara out of his panic attack. It was bright and chirpy and was _teasing_ the two obviously older men, actually drawing some answers from them.

Wait... Didn't that sound like...?

The three males made their way across the corner and all the talk died down at the sight of a clearly distressed Deidara. The blonde boy's ocean blue eyes focused on the blonde artist's cerulean blue ones. There was a spark.

And the world stopped. For Deidara, there was only the blonde boy. He struggled to take in all of him, running his eyes over the blonde hair and orange jumpsuit. For Naruto, there was only Deidara. The blonde Jinchuuriki found himself drinking the older teen with the eyes.

He silently wondered why the older teen was crying.

The silence grew awkward.

"Ninetails, we have to go and report to Leader, as well as inform him of your _decision_" Itachi intervened, scowling at Deidara.

"I have a name, you know? Or is it that you don't know how to spell?" The younger of all of them snapped, turning to Itachi to glare at the Uchiha.

"I am in perfect condition of spelling your name, Ninetails. Just don't expect me to actually do it" The raven haired man scolded, glancing at Deidara, who was petrified in the spot "Now let us go"

And with that he gently pushed the boy forward, beginning to walk as well. When the small group reached the spot where Deidara was crouched, however, Naruto stopped abruptly, causing Kisame to bump into him and swear loudly.

"What the hell is wrong with you brat?" The shark like man growled, rubbing his stomach.

"What the hell is wrong with your face?" The blonde countered. Kisame scowled at the comment, but made no further remarks. Then, the blonde's face softened a bit, taking in a more curious expression "I'll stay here for a bit. I've heard a lot about this guy but never really got a chance to talk to him"

To say Deidara was surprised was an understatement. The bluntness in the blonde's statement was throwing him off balance, but he had no time to be angry as Itachi and Kisame nodded doubtfully and left in a gush of smoke.

"Hello" The blonde boy greeted with a foxy grin adorning his face. Deidara could not help but wonder if he was capable of capturing that creature's essence in a sculpture.

"Who are you, un?" The bomber growled, his panic attack long gone and his face dry and normal again.

"I'm Naruto" The younger blonde introduced himself, extending one hand to take Deidara's, utterly confusing the older blonde.

"I'm Deidara, un" He replied "Why are you here?"

"What is this? 20 Questions?" Naruto teased, stopping when he caught the scowl in Deidara's carefully composed expression "I'm the Fox Jinchuuriki" He announced.

"What?" Deidara cried out, with a growl forming at his lips. He jumped into a standing position and snarled, letting one hand feel the pouch at his waist. He silently cursed. He was out of clay.

"Hey, you PMSing or something? What's with the mood swings?" Naruto yelled, stepping back as well and reaching for his kunai. That only confused Deidara further.

"They let you in without a fight and armed, un?" He inquired incredulously. Naruto stopped and blinked, turning his head to look at his weapon pouch.

"Well... yeah... weird..." He shrugged "Anyway, I came willingly, so..."

"You what, un?" Deidara once more cried out. Naruto was beginning to feel annoyed, not just at the incessant mood swing and questions but also at Deidara's speech problem.

"Ok, you have to stop that, man. Mood swings confuse me" The younger blonde pouted a bit "But the answer to your rather generic question is that I've been exiled from Konoha" He trailed off at this point, fighting to keep tears in before resuming his explanation "and I've decided to join the Akatsuki"

"Un?" Was all Deidara could manage at his poor state of utter confusion.

Naruto sighed exasperatedly.

"Look, I have to go or your Leader might just kill me, ok? I'll see you later!" He barked, starting to run away at full speed. Deidara stood rooted to the same spot, watching the retreating blonde.

"See you... later" He returned, but it was too late as the blonde was already gone.

* * *

><p><strong>Holy damn. This is officially the first chapter I've <strong>_**ever**_** written that took more than six pages, amounting to a total of eleven! Go me!**

**Anyway, if you want to flame, go ahead. Naruto has always wanted Fire Affinity anyway, so...**

**Well, read and review, folks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**ATTENTION: ****I realized (though none of the reviewers seemed to) that I said that Sasori hasn't appeared yet (in my A/N). What I meant is that Sai hasn't appeared yet. Forgive my mistake and yes, they've already rescued Gaara so Sasori has appeared (and is long gone).**

_**RECAP:**_

"_Look, I have to go or your Leader might just kill me, ok? I'll see you later!" He barked, starting to run away at full speed. Deidara stood rooted to the same spot, watching the retreating blonde._

"_See you... later" He returned, but it was too late as the blonde was already gone._

_**Chapter II (Confusion)**_

One very tired and very confused blonde boy closed the door behind him, resting his head against it while trying to catch his breath. Not two seconds later, he heard a delicate couch coming from inside the room he was in.

Fearing that the guy who had been chasing him – one with white hair and a huge scythe – had somehow snuck in before he locked the door, Naruto turned around, pale.

It wasn't the white haired man. Actually, he was quite relived to find Itachi and Kisame standing in front of him, with their eyes slightly narrowed at his display of exhaustion. He would have mocked them if it wasn't for the fact that there were two more people inside the room.

One was tall, standing way above Itachi and slightly above Kisame. The man was a ginger – his orange hair was spiky like his own, Naruto noticed – and his eyes were those of... something. They were grey and circled, like a never-ending spiral. Naruto had heard of those eyes, he remembered as he gulped down his fear. The eye technique, Rinnegan.

What was most impressive in the man's face, however, were the countless piercings that adorned his face and ears, all shiny and silver. The man was currently sporting a scowl, apparently not impressed by Naruto's delay. Well, he wouldn't have been late if he hadn't stopped to talk to Deidara, and then gotten lost and then been chased around by some white-haired maniac.

Next to him was standing a woman whose hair was blue. Naruto blinked and wondered if he had gone color-blind. Then again, his friend _did_ have pink hair. He supposed blue was more common. The woman had no remarkable features – if you counted out the blue hair and the small piercing hi her lip – and she too looked rather bored as she eyed him warily.

Knowing he was probably in front of the leader of the Akatsuki and his blue-haired - girlfriend? Naruto blinked at the thought – second-in-command, Naruto had the common sense to bow to the orange-haired man before him.

"I apologize for being late. I got lost and then ended up being chased by a man with white hair, who claimed he was going to 'sacrifice' me to some god. I ran into this room in hopes of losing him and it's a good thing I did, apparently, because I ended up finding our meeting room" He explained quickly, doing his best to sound respectful, even if he was beginning to think that the Akatsuki were all crazy.

The orange-haired man eyed him for a long moment before nodding.

"That was Hidan. He is a worshipper of the god Jashin, to whom he sacrifices human victims every day. Don't worry about him – once I announce you to them, he will stop bothering you" The leader informed, nodding to the blue-haired woman, who nodded back before hurrying out of the room.

"You are Naruto Uzumaki, am I correct?"

"You are" Naruto answered, still feeling uneasy about the Jashin worshipper out there. Despite the leader's attempts to clarify that it was indeed a misunderstanding, he couldn't help but shiver at the thought of the maniac sacrificing him to that forsaken god of his.

"I am Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki, but you will address me as Leader" He paused for a second, holding Naruto's gaze to make sure he had heard "Is this in anyway unclear?"

"No, Leader" Naruto dutifully replied. He was itching to make a joke about the man, just as he had done with Itachi and Kisame, to break the ice, but he knew that would cause him his death or worse.

The boy shivered at the thought of being shoved outside into the hands of the Jashin worshipper.

"Very well, I've been informed by Itachi and Kisame that you were willing to join the Akatsuki, is that right?"

"Yes, Leader" Naruto once more bit back a sarcastic retort. Images of a bloodied scythe haunted his mind.

"And why is that? You are a Jinchuuriki. What makes you think that just because you want to join, not only will we forget about your demon, but we'll let you in as well?" The words held a certain amusement to them and Naruto instantly knew he was stepping on unstable ground.

"Well, Leader, you will obviously do whatever you find in your best interest, but the fact is that Konoha means nothing more to me. I have been banished and I am now without a place to be. I'm angry and revolted and I am a pretty good fighter. I thought I could be of use to your organization" He finished, before biting his lip and adding "If you'll have me, of course, Leader"

Pain seemed to ponder his answer for a second; grey eyes scanning him like a hawk would do to his prey. Finally, the man nodded.

"I offer you a deal. You may join us and, in return, you will let us extract the Nine-Tailed Fox from you once we request it" He proposed and Naruto barely held back a sigh of relief. He was being given a chance, even if it meant he was selling his soul to the devil.

"I accept" Naruto said, before adding a hurried "Leader".

Leader nodded again, seeming contemplative.

"You will be tested tomorrow. Itachi will get you, in the morning. For now, Itachi will show you to your room and you will get ready to be announced to the other members in the main room" Pain turned his back to the three men, obviously indicating it was their time to leave.

The three of them bowed low, Naruto once again biting back a humorous comment, and then hurried off.

* * *

><p>"You are lucky to be alive after your little stunt" Itachi informed him as they calmly walked through the hideout, swiftly avoiding any crowded places. Or rather, any place that Hidan might be in.<p>

"Meh, it wasn't my fault. That maniac Hidan really did chase me around" Naruto protested, letting his lips form a pout he knew to be irresistible. Itachi raised an eyebrow at the blatant display of childishness.

"Anyway, Leader hates waiting. He's almost as bad as Sasori was" Kisame laughed, gingerly petting Samehada.

"Sasori? Wasn't that the puppet master that Sakura and Lady Chiyo defeated?" The blond Jinchuuriki inquired, glancing up at Itachi, who shrugged.

"He was. I guess he wasn't as good as everyone thought him to be" Kisame barked, stifling another laugh. Itachi suddenly came to a halt, causing Naruto to bump into him and Kisame to stifle another laugh.

"Hey! Why did you stop, Wrinkles?" He growled, amused at the murderous expression that graced Itachi's features for the slightest of seconds. The Uchiha glared at him before gesturing towards the door they were in front of.

"We're here. This is your room. I'm guessing Konan went ahead and already prepared it for you" He informed, stepping aside to allow the blond boy to push the door open.

What awaited his sight was certainly surprising, though in a pleasant way. The room was sort of bare, and the decorations weren't many, but Naruto found that he loved it. From the moment he laid eyes on it, he just knew he would love to be in that room.

The walls were painted dark grey – almost black – and orange, like his jumpsuit. There was a double bed to the right, with black covers and orange pillows and two bookshelves right in front of him. There was a couch and a small coffee table, both in dark colors – grey and orange – and the room was completed by a desk to Naruto's left, in dark wood.

Bouncing with joy, the new Akatsuki member made his way into the room, not even noticing if Itachi and Kisame also entered. Naruto beamed at the things, as if they could smile back, as he bounced from one bookshelf to another, reading the book titles.

Most were fighting techniques, but some of them held promising stories. He would spend some time reading them later, he promised to himself as he went to check out the until-then unnoticed door to his left. It led to a bathroom.

"Hey Naruto? Check this out!" Kisame called out, holding out a piece of clothing that had been folded on top of his bed for him to take it. The blonde Jinchuuriki was shocked when he saw a black cloak with red clouds, though he should've been expecting it.

Being a part of the Akatsuki meant he had to wear the cloak. It was something so simple, that he had overlooked it. Nodding towards the cloak, Naruto lifted his head to stare at Kisame and Itachi.

"I'm going to take a bath and get ready to be announced. I'll see you guys later"

Itachi nodded and moved to leave, dragging a slightly reluctant Kisame on his way out. Just as he was about to close the door, though, he turned and said "We'll meet back here in a hour"

"See you then, Wrinkles!" Naruto beamed, closing the door in the face of a very annoyed Itachi Uchiha. Well, that made his day...

Shaking his head while stifling the almost uncontrollable laughter, Naruto made his way to the bathroom, quickly disposing of the clothes and almost jumping inside the shower. What he really wanted was a bath tub, and enough time to just sink in and relax after a long day of walking, talking and escaping from white-haired freaks, but he was going to be announced soon and he could always rest later.

He showered quickly, with fast and mechanized movements, before skipping out of the shower and wrapping himself in a white towel. He quickly got dressed, silently admiring just how _good_ the Akatsuki cloak looked on him and then sat on the bed, waiting for Itachi and Kisame to get ready.

* * *

><p>There was a knock on the door before Itachi pushed the door open nonchalantly and strolled in, followed by Kisame. Naruto glared from his position at the bed.<p>

"Well, you sure took your time" He admonished. Itachi ignored him and Kisame scowled.

"Well, we would've gotten here earlier but _Itachi_ wanted to style his hair so we took a bit longer than expected" He explained, ignoring Itachi's glare. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"You style your hair?" He asked. Itachi glared at him.

"Do you style yours?" He replied, thinking he had the Jinchuuriki.

"No. I just let him dry naturally" The boy answered, smirking at the fuming Itachi.

"No more talking" The Uchiha hissed "We have a meeting to go. Come on, we'll guide you to the living room, most commonly called the Main Room"

Naruto laughed at the sight of the slightly sulking Uchiha, and ignored the snickering Kisame, but followed the older man nonetheless. The Jinchuuriki was seriously confused at the amount of turns and curves they had to do to actually get to a better known part of the hideout.

They went through a large arch-like opening on the wall and Naruto stiffened, nearly making Kisame bump into him. _Everyone_ was there. Most males and one female – the blue-haired girl he had seen before. Including the white-haired freak.

Naruto started sweating bullets.

Pain stood and walked over to him, his face a blank mask even though one could see a tiny little bit of confusion shining in his Rinnegan eyes. Perhaps that was due to the fact that Itachi and Kisame did not move to occupy their seats on the couch where most people were seated – instead choosing to stand firmly by Naruto's side, like two bodyguards.

Naruto felt unnaturally safe.

With a sigh, Pain stood in front of everyone, slightly to Naruto's left and gestured to the blond Jinchuuriki.

"As you were told earlier, there is someone who was willing to join us. After much deliberation, I've have decided to comply with his request and accept him into our organization" Pain paused there, looking everyone in the eye before moving on.

"_If_ he proves to be worthy, of course" He added, glaring silently at one member, who – Naruto noticed – seemed to be sulking. The member was a man, tall and lean and his black hair was spiky, but shorter than Naruto's. His face was hidden behind an orange swirly mask.

The Jinchuuriki vaguely wondered the reason of the man's childish behavior.

"New member" Pain called his attention. With a startled sound, Naruto snapped back into the present "Introduce yourself!"

"My name is, as some of you might know, Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox" A few gasps were heard._ Ok, so some of them don't know..._ "I'm here to join you Akatsuki under the condition of surrendering my Bijuu to you once my purpose in this organization ceases to exist."

It was rather weird to the blonde boy to be speaking to such an interested audience. Usually, people didn't care about what he had to say unless it was part of a mission. In this particular case, everyone was listening, their eyes trained on the young man in front of them.

"I am eighteen years old and my specialty is the Shadow Clone, although my most powerful move is the Rasengan" He informed. There was no harm in giving them a slight nudge towards trust. Maybe if he told them a bit of classified information, they would realize he wasn't there to betray them or worse.

Pain nodded, signaling him to stop. He then turned to the other Akatsuki members, narrowing his Rinnegan eyes towards them.

"Introduce yourselves." He commanded, though his voice sounded more like the one of a scolding father than a fearsome leader of an evil organization.

Not surprisingly, Itachi took the lead.

"As you already know, my name is Itachi Uchiha, the murderer of the Uchiha clan. I am twenty-four years old and I'm good with Fire Style" He spoke. Naruto was a bit surprised at the display of trust.

By telling him his strong point, he was also opening possibilities towards his weakness.

He was also openly taking his side by copying him in his attempt to gain everybody's trust. Naruto bit his lip to contain a whistle of appreciation. He could see a great friend in Itachi; he just had to work the Uchiha. Who knew... maybe staying with the Akatsuki wasn't so bad.

"My name is Kisame Hoshigaki, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. I'm twenty-six years old and I'm good with Water Style" Naruto suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and say 'no duh'. I mean, the guy looked like a shark, had blue skin and strolled around carrying a sword named "Shark Skin"; his preference for the Water Style was pretty obvious.

There was a bit of an awkward silence as everyone silently debated about who should go next. Surprisingly enough, the white-haired Jashin worshipper shot him an arrogant smirk before introducing himself.

"My fucking name is Hidan and I'm the most fucking loyal follower of Jashin, the all-mighty god. Stay the fuck away from my scythe or it might end up badly for you, asshole" He barked, closing his fist around his scythe warningly.

Pain sighed.

"Forgive his foul words. That's just part of Hidan" Naruto nodded, not quite sure of what to say to that.

"I am Kakuzu and I run the Akatsuki financials. I'm also the one who'll stitch you up if you ever happen to lose a member" One wearing a mask spoke up, his voice grave and his eyes surprisingly dull. He seemed controlled and well-mannered enough, Naruto considered, flashing him a foxy grin.

The blonde Jinchuuriki was, however, caught off guard when the teenager he had spoken to before – Deidara, if he remembered correctly – decided to go next, narrowing his eyes in boredom. His voice, though, seemed to hold an edge of excitement to it. Quite the contrast if you ask me.

"I'm Deidara, un" He started "I'm an artist and I believe that art is a 'bang', un. If you like my art, you can be my friend, if not... well, I might just blow you up, un!" Although his tone was friendly, Naruto forced a small lump down his throat.

Then, a man with a multi-colored face and a giant plant growing around his head spoke up.

"I'm Zetsu.** I'm also Zetsu.** We're pleased to meet you**, though I would prefer eating you**" He seemed to talk as two different beings, a fact that pretty much had Naruto freaking out inwardly, but at least his white face seemed amiable.

Next up was the blue-haired woman – the only he'd seen until that point.

"I'm Konan. I'm Pain's Second-In-Command" Naruto resisted the almost uncontrollable urge to cough out 'girlfriend' "I'm good with origami" She then turned to the orange-masked man with a noticeable frown. It was obvious that Leader should go in last "Tobi, introduce yourself, _now_"

The man yelped – a pretty pathetic sound for a young man like him – and sat upright. Immediately, the room seemed to brighten up and Naruto could almost _feel_ the smile behind the orange swirly mask.

"I'm Tobi! The young man – whose voice sounded a bit younger than his actual appearance – "And TOBI IS A GOOD BOY!" He practically yelled, the sound waves created by the teenager almost breaking Naruto's eardrums.

Nobody else seemed affected, though, and Naruto assumed that everyone was used to it.

"I'm eighteen, just like you!" The boy – no, man – said in a sing-song voice "And I feel like we can become friends! I just know I'm going to like you, I mean-" He was cut short by Pain's grave voice.

"Tobi, that's enough" The boy – no, _man_ – shut up immediately, as if Pain had pressed an invisible button " I am Pain and I am the leader of the Akatsuki." He stopped and Naruto realized that he wasn't going to continue.

He nodded to everyone in general as Pain turned to leave; Konan right by his side. As soon as Leader and his right-hand woman left the room, the whole group seemed to relax – which reminded Naruto of the melting of a piece of butter.

Everyone resumed their usual activities, with both Hidan and Kakuzu retiring to their rooms – one to worship his damned god and the other to count money – and Itachi leaving for the library, Kisame hot on his trail. That left... Deidara and Tobi.

Cursing his luck, Naruto walked up to them and sat on the couch, slightly stiff from awkwardness, until Tobi eyes him and smiled – again, Naruto didn't smile, he just _felt_ it.

"Hello! Do you want to play a game with me and Senpai?" He asked, with a sickly joyous voice. Naruto smiled instantly, almost hearing the ice breaking between them and some of the awkwardness melt away.

"Sure! What kind of game?" He asked, flashing Tobi his fox-like grin.

Deidara sighed, drawing the other blonde's attention to him. He flipped his hair back and stated, in a monotone: "I'm not playing. You play with the moron. I'm going to my studio"

And, with that, he stood and turned to leave, being stopped by a hand in his arm. He turned around once more, shocked to his bones that Naruto was actually attempting to be civil to him after he pretty much had a breakdown in front of him.

"First of all, Tobi doesn't seem a moron to me" He spoke, his voice somewhat curious. Behind him, Tobi had that expression – I'll say it again, you can feel it – of someone who is sticking their tongue out at you from behind someone's back. "And second, you have a studio? You'll have to show me around, some time!" He finished enthusiastically.

Having had a firsthand experience with Deidara's exploding clay, he was curious as to why and how it worked and how Deidara could mold so fast. Maybe, if he was lucky, the blonde would spend some time teaching him how to sculpt.

Deidara's expression was somewhere between profoundly shocked and immensely happy. He must have decided for happy because his face suddenly broke into a heartwarming grin, his cerulean eyes shining happily.

"Sure. Have Tobi take you to my room once you two are finished with your games and I'll show you around" He agreed, his voiced changing suddenly from bored to excited. Naruto beamed right back at him and turned again to play with Tobi.

* * *

><p>Naruto's mind was filled with... stairs and... Snakes... and cards and... Whatnot! When he had agreed to play with Tobi he would've never imagined that the hyperactive teen would be up for <em>three<em> hours of constant games.

The Jinchuuriki shook his head grimly and tried to focus on his current task: getting to Deidara's room. Tobi was walking ahead of him, chattering about nothing in particular while pointing to random spots on the wall.

Yes, Naruto was beginning to regret declaring Tobi not a moron. The guy was clearly... uh... _retarded_. Even Naruto, who could try a saint's patience, was never _that_ loud.

Well, they reached their objective at least. Tobi bid his goodbye as he wandered off to his room.

And that was how Naruto found himself at Deidara's door, feeling like a teenager on their first date, not knowing if he should knock or what to say.

He decided to knock.

The door opened just a second later, the creaking sound suggesting it needed oil, to reveal a shirtless Deidara. His blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail as it was the previous times Naruto had encountered him, with a bit dangling in front of his eye.

Deidara smirked upon seeing him and stepped aside, granting him access to his room. Naruto eyes his torso discretely. Muscular, but not overly muscular.

Deidara coughed to get his attention and then smirked.

"I'll show you my studio, un!" He exclaimed, his voice seeming to brighten the room, just like Tobi's invisible smile did. Naruto chuckled.

"Ok, then! One question, though... why are you shirtless?" He asked slyly, not that he really cared. That way he could appreciate the view... he gave that thought a slight push. Maybe it was worth going for... but probably not.

The problem wasn't the gender – when you're a ninja, you learn to like both genders, due to lack of company during long missions or during war raids. Basically, gender didn't matter to a shinobi. However, it would probably scare Deidara half to death if he suddenly commented on his body or wolf-whistled like he was thinking of doing.

"I always walk around like this when I'm working on my art, un... does it bother you?" He asked curiously, glancing at Naruto, who hadn't moved.

"No. I was just wondering" Naruto replied, moving to follow Deidara though a door on the left of the room. The blonde Jinchuuriki smirked slightly when he saw Deidara hesitate, as if pondering whether or not he should cover his torso.

"Ok, then! Follow me, un!" The artist commanded, opening the door with a key he kept inside of his pants' pocket and swinging it open.

For once, Naruto was left speechless.

Deidara's studio was _huge_. It was probably the same size as the place where the fights to reduce the number of people to enter the third competition of the Chuunin Exams were held. The place was circular, with flat walls and no wallpapers.

The floor was simple stone and, in the center of the room, one could see a giant... _something_... taking form. The huge mass of clay was obviously about to get a form when Naruto had knocked.

"Wow" Was the only thing to escape the Jinchuuriki's lips. By his side, Deidara chuckled.

"Impressed?" The whiskered boy could only nod as he walked forward, almost mechanically, to stand in front of the large piece of clay.

It seemed impossible to the demon vessel that Deidara could turn something so primitive, so _raw_... into a work of art – into something with a meaning and a purpose, even if that particular purpose was being blown up.

Unconsciously, the Jinchuuriki raised one hand in front of him as if to touch the clay but caught himself on time and looked behind him, to Deidara.

"Can I touch it?" He asked, somewhat fearful of unintentionally ruining the blonde's work.

Deidara merely smirked and gestured towards his unfinished – to say the truth, he hadn't even started – work of art.

"Be my guest, un" He stated simply, leaning into the doorway, his cerulean eyes watching the other blonde's every move, intrigued as to why the Jinchuuriki was so... amazed.

True to that statement, Naruto looked... bewildered. His eyes were wide open, as if he was about to find out life's deepest secrets, and his hand was trembling slightly as he reached out and touched the clay very lightly.

Feeling a bit more reassured, the blonde continued to prod the clay with his fingers, occasionally poking it and just generally walking around it, trying to get a better point of view.

Suddenly, Deidara was pulled out of his musings by the blonde's enthusiastic voice, the reverberated through the fresh air of the studio.

"This is so cool, man!" Yelled the obviously fascinated demon vessel. Deidara blinked and then his face broke into a giant grin as he moved to stand besides the other blonde.

"Of course it is, un! It's my art!" He boasted, puffing his chest out a little. Naruto turned to look at him.

"But you haven't even started! Can I watch you?" The boy asked, feeling very much like a small child who first accompanies their parents to their jobs – or at least he supposed he felt like that, for he had no way of knowing.

Deidara blinked again.

"Sure, un. But... why are you so interested? I mean, it's still just a piece of clay, un!"

Naruto sighed, much like a teacher who is about to explain the same thing for the one thousandth time.

"Yeah, but you're going to turn it into something with a purpose and that – to be able to just give meaning to something – is simply... fascinating!" The blonde finished, folding his arms across his chest and waiting for a reply.

"Un. I guess I hadn't thought of that before. Ok, I'll start now, watch the master work!" And, with that, Deidara reached out for the clay, determined to make it worthy of the blonde's appreciation.

* * *

><p>Two hours had passed since Deidara had started working and it was getting a bit unnerving to have the newest member of the Akatsuki – all high and mighty in his brand new cloak – not moving from his spot near the huge piece of clay.<p>

Speaking of which... Deidara stepped back, having finally completed his work of art and smirked slightly as Naruto jumped up from his seated position on the floor and moved to stand beside him.

"It looks... awesome" The whiskered boy said enthusiastically, lightly punching Deidara on the arm.

In front of them stood... a ten feet tall dragon made entirely of clay.

Naruto couldn't help but gawk at it. It was exceptionally well made, every proportion masterfully fitting. Even the wings looked real enough. Its skin was soft to the touch, as Naruto realized once he had gently touched it, and it was a creamy white.

Naruto moved to touch him again, petting the large creature on the curve of its neck.

A low rumble, almost like a purr, filled the room, making Naruto swear out loud and jump backwards. Whatever had produced that sound caused another... a low growl, almost petulant.

"Maybe you should continue petting him... He was enjoying it, un..." Supplied Deidara, still biting back a snicker that threatened to escape his lips.

Naruto stared wide-eyed at the giant dragon that was now moving his head to position it right in front of the demon vessel arching his neck in a begging position. His eyes shined violet as he produced a child-like whine.

"It... It's alive?" The blonde managed to choke out, taking one fearful step backwards. Deidara only chuckled.

"Of course it's alive, un! And besides, he's a _he_, un!" The artist crossed his arms over his chest with a cocky smirk playing in his lips as Naruto reached out to resume his previous action of petting the clay dragon.

"Do all of your creations come to life?" Naruto asked, his eyes never leaving the clay beast that was surprisingly curling up next to him, looking for affection.

"Of course, un!"

"Then, why didn't I see any running around the base or even here?" The demon vessel inquired, looking around with a yawn. He was suddenly reminded that it was probably night outside and this memory came with a painful ache in his muscles.

"Because I blow them up, of course! Un..." The artist seemed choked that Naruto would really consider having his creations running around like _pets_. They were works of art, for Kami's sake!

It was Naruto's turn to look horrified. He turned to Deidara, his hand never stopping the incessant petting of the dragon, with eyes wide and mouth slightly open.

"What? You can't seriously be thinking of blowing him up!" He all but yelled. Deidara frowned.

"Of course I will, un! This is where he reaches the pinnacle of his existence and becomes true art!" He argued, narrowing his eyes at the slightly taller – now that he noticed – boy.

Naruto immediately turned around, standing with his back to the dragon and facing Deidara, with his hands pressed together as if he was praying – or begging.

"Please let me keep him... _please!_" The teen cried out, dropping to his knees in a comical act of a fit.

Deidara blinked. And then blinked again. And again. He blinked for a couple minutes, eyeing the teen before him incredulously, before shrugging.

"Whatever" He muttered, letting his arms fall to his sides.

He was taken aback when Naruto suddenly jumped to his feet and pumped a fist into the air, letting out a scream of joy, before literally crushing Deidara in a hug.

The world stopped. Deidara felt heat rising to his face, probably coloring it of an obnoxious color like _red_ and coughed uncomfortably. Naruto didn't seem to sense the older teen's discomfort as he continued hugging him for a couple more seconds before letting go of him and flashing him a dazzling smile.

"Thanks a bunch, Deidara!" His attention was turned to the dragon again, who seemed just as happy as the demon vessel "I'm going to call you... Sake!" The dragon purred in appreciation.

It was then that Naruto – completely oblivious to the fact that Deidara didn't even seem to be breathing, at the moment – was faced with a completely new problem.

The dragon was _huge_. Where exactly was he going to put it?

* * *

><p><strong>Ok guys, I wrote you an even bigger chapter! I hope you like it and please review.<strong>

**And yes, if you can't tell, there are strong alliances and friendships being formed – for example, the **_**golden trio**_** (Itachi, Naruto and Kisame).**

**Ok, R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Just a quick note, as some of you may find this confusing, but this story is located somewhere shortly after Naruto's training with the elements, though neither Kakuzu not Hidan were killed/buried.**

_**Also, for the ones who think that the Itachi/Naruto best friends relationship is going too fast, I'm hoping to explain the reason on a nearby future. It actually has a reason and it' actually hinted at in the chapter.**_

_**The one who guesses can have me doing a one-shot for him/her. Only the first one to guess, though!**_

_**RECAP:**_

_It was then that Naruto – completely oblivious to the fact that Deidara didn't even seem to be breathing, at the moment – was faced with a completely new problem._

_The dragon was __**huge**__. Where exactly was he going to put it?_

_**Chapter III (The Golden Trio)**_

Deidara slammed the door shut and slid to the ground, breathing heavily. What exactly was wrong with him? He had not been running like crazy, nor had he been exercising intensely, yet his heart insisted on pounding loudly in his chest and his breath came out ragged.

The bomber closed his eyes and took one calming deep breath, forcing all of his muscles to relax and his breath to even out. He finally opened his eyes, staring at the empty room.

Naruto had just left, with a happy – and smaller, since Deidara had taught him how to use chakra to change the dragon's size – clay dragon in tow, hollering about how he was glad Deidara had helped him pick a name for the dragon. He seemed to have completely forgotten that he was going to name the dragon 'Sake'.

The bomber sighed. He had merely suggested Roar as a joke, for the dragon seemed to enjoy roaring loudly in his ears, but Naruto had seen a great opportunity to once again make a fool out of himself and named the oblivious thing 'Roar'.

He had then proceeded to punch Deidara playfully in the arm, joking about something the blonde hadn't paid attention to and then the world had come to an end. For Deidara, at least. And the very reason for that was that as the blonde let his hand slide down from Deidara's side, it accidently brushed against Deidara's tight.

Naruto had left not even a full minute later, saying he was tired and thanking the blonde for letting him watch him work.

And that was the cause of Deidara's current breathless state. Yes, something as insignificant as a slight touch from the newest member of the Akatsuki.

Regardless, Deidara struggled to his feet and stumbled to the bed, letting himself fall backwards into the soft dark red sheets. The artist frowned deeply, profoundly annoyed by his own display of weakness. He was an S-Class criminal, trained in the art of murder – specifically by explosion – and a weapon of terror ready to be unleashed upon anyone who dared to cross his path.

He was _not_ some love struck teenager whose crush had just invited him to the school dance.

He. Was. Not.

Never! He felt like sticking his tongue out for no one to see, like a seven-year-old child sulking in his room. Instead, he raised one had to the sky and allowed the tongue on that hand to do what he wanted to do. Yes, he was that childish.

Lastly, he resorted himself to change into his loose pajama pants, tossing the fishnet shirt he had on aside and standing with his upper body bare. It was far too hot for him to wear it, anyway. With one last sigh, he undid his ponytail and took of his forehead protector, tossing it to the ground carelessly, letting his blonde hair – a bit paler than Naruto's – fall freely.

"Good night" He said to no one, once again falling to the bed and snuggling up against the covers. He was asleep in less than nothing.

* * *

><p>"Are you hungry?"<p>

One low growl, almost like a purr was heard from directly behind him.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Hmm... What do clay dragons eat?" The blonde young man stopped in the way to his room, deep in thought.

Another purr was heard as the horse-sized dragon stood beside his master, lifting his head to touch Naruto's cheek with its snout.

"Err... Do you eat... clay?" The Jinchuuriki asked, cocking his head to the side as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Roar snorted in a very un-dragon-like way and resorted to stare at his master with mirth-filled violet eyes.

"You're not being very helpful, you know?" Again, a soft purr was produced by the clay dragon "Come on! Give me a clue!"

"So, you're still up, uh? And talking to yourself too!" The quiet and deep voice of Itachi resonated through the hallway, coming directly from behind him and scaring him shitless.

The blonde jumped ten feet in the air before whirling around to scowl at a smirking Itachi.

"I'm not talking to myself, Wrinkles!" Cue Itachi's growl "And Deidara kept me up all of this time. Well... his art did, anyways" As if to illustrate the blonde's words, Roar fixed his gaze on Itachi and growled loudly enough to provoke slight vibrations through the hideout.

The Uchiha raise an eyebrow at the odd-looking piece of clay standing next to Naruto.

"Is that supposed to be... a horse?" He ventured, squinting in order to see a bit more in the darkness. The fact that his vision was faltering most certainly did _not_ help the matter either.

"Hey! Roar takes offense to that!" Naruto cried out, catching himself at the last second and lowering his voice to the point of a whisper. He stared the Uchiha down furiously "Roar is a dragon!"

"Aren't dragons supposed to be huge?"

"Aren't twenty-four-year-olds supposed to have no wrinkles?" Naruto shot back, slipping easily into their almost constant banter. After several years of playing Cat and Mouse and a whole day of actually getting to know – more like evaluate silently – each other, the beginnings of a friendship had begun to sink in.

"Can it, Ninetails"

"Whatever, Wrinkles" Both men stared each other down, scowling profoundly. After a while, Itachi sighed and retreated to his usual self, arranging his expression to match that of a statue.

"What kind of name is Roar anyway?" Naruto's scowl deepened.

"A cool name. Deidara suggested it"

"I should have known the kid was involved"

"Well, no freaking duh! Who else stays up at ungodly hours of the night to make a dragon out of clay that can actually move?" The blonde teased, leaning against the wall as his knees began to weaken from exhaustion. Itachi, being the skilled shinobi he was, noticed the detail.

"You should get some sleep."

"Roar hasn't eaten yet" The boy protested, eyeing Itachi wearily as the Uchiha walked towards him.

"Roar is made of clay. He doesn't _have_ to eat. If he's getting weak, at some point, just feed it your chakra" The Uchiha explained plainly, holding Naruto by the elbow as the boy faltered in his step.

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that. Thanks, Wr-" He caught himself on time, wanting to really thank the older man and not make fun of him "Itachi" He said instead.

"You're welcome"

Retreating into his silent mode, Itachi pushed Naruto forward slightly, nudging the boy in the direction of his room. Too tired to argue, the boy slumped forward, tripping over his feet a few times before falling into a comfortable pace.

The trip to Naruto's room was quiet. When you had Itachi as a companion, you didn't exactly have the opportunity to talk about your life, as his silent mood was depressing, and Naruto _was_ rather tired.

"We're here" The Uchiha stated, pointing to Naruto's room's door.

"Thanks for the... ride..." The boy blushed and let out a disgruntled groan at how kinky the words sounded to his perverted – or healthy, as Jiraiya would say – eighteen-year-old ears "Good night"

If Itachi found something wrong with how Naruto phrased his 'thank you', he didn't mention it, resorting to nodding and stepping back.

"It wasn't a problem. Good night, Ninetails"

"Can it, Wrinkles" Naruto stuck his tongue out at Itachi and disappeared into his room before the enraged Uchiha had a chance of severely damaging him.

* * *

><p>The next day, the sun rose to find a rather pissed off blonde Jinchuuriki standing next to an equally disgruntled blue shark-man-thing carrying a rather enormous sword and a perfect-as-ever Uchiha that looked like he was some sort of decoration and not a real human being.<p>

In front of the three men, stood a colossal building.

For being underground, Naruto had never thought that the Akatsuki Hideout was that big. Granted, the place they were in was not exactly underground, being more like half underground and half out in the middle of a forest, but it was still a part of the Hideout and it was still huge.

It was the place where he was going to be tested in order to earn his place among the Akatsuki and it was also the place where they – meaning Kisame and Itachi – had dragged him to at _six_ in the _freaking_ morning!

The other Akatsuki were already up and sitting in one of the two large bench like sections of the training grounds. Hidan was in one of the front rows, grinning sadistically as he twirled his scythe in one hand. Next to him, trying to convince the other Akatsuki to place bets on the combat results was Kakuzu, looking as boring as he usually did.

Both Pain and Konan were sitting somewhere in the middle rows, next to each other, their faces betraying no emotions as they stared the competitors down. Zetsu was one row behind the Leader, talking quietly to himself, for all Naruto could hear with his Fox Hearing.

Tobi was naturally on the front row, waving what seemed like a handmade little flag with Naruto's name written in it, madly while cheering the boy up. Deidara was next to him, seemingly asleep.

With a sigh, the three men stepped out of the shadows and into the uncovered part of the training grounds. Naruto eyed the audience with a critical eye, evaluating their interference in the battle, but shrugged and passed them off as minor distraction and gave a big 'thumbs up' at Tobi, who cheered louder.

Finally, Leader stood.

"Tobi, that's enough for now, thank you" He ordered coolly, effectively shutting the teenager up "As I said yesterday, you will now be tested. You will fight against Itachi on a one-on-one battle and the results shall decide your fate. Be aware that the punishment for failure is death through extraction"

Naruto nodded.

"I understand, Leader" He sagely replied with a bow. Pain nodded.

"Very well, you may begin" He stated, sitting back down. Kisame turned towards Naruto and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Good luck, mate." He barked with a shark-like grin as he jumped up to the benches.

Then, out of nowhere, a loud roar interrupted everyone's thoughts. As an eagle ready to strike its prey, Roar descended from the skies, wings tight against his lizard-like body, as he wheezed past a group of birds who flew off hurriedly.

Pain's stare shifted from Naruto to the dragon, contemplatively.

Just as the dragon was about to hit the ground and be reduced to nothing more than a steaming pile of clay, it spread its wings and landed heavily in front of Naruto.

Pain's eyes turned perplexed, just as a soft white tongue darted out of the dragon's mouth and touched Naruto's cheek. His stare turned to Deidara, who was now fully awake, leaning forward as he surveyed the scene before him.

In an open act of affection, the dragon opened its wings and closed them around the Jinchuuriki, holding him for a moment before letting go. Naruto laughed, a bit embarrassed as he petted the dragon's head lightly.

"Go and wait next to Deidara" He commanded, chuckling nervously "And whatever happens, _don't_ interfere" Roar nodded grimly as it stepped back in order to get room to take flight again.

The clay beast leapt into the sky and landed next to the clay master, putting his head on the ground with the expression of a lost puppy. Right then, Naruto was determined not to lose, for the dragon's sake – as weird as that sounded.

Deidara reached out and patted the dragon's head once, after which the clay monster promptly snuggled close to its creator, with its best imitation of puppy dog eyes.

Itachi cleared his throat.

"Ok, let us begin"

Naruto didn't wait for him to attack, jumping back a few feet before taking out a kunai and staring at Itachi.

"Yes. Let us begin"

Without a second warning, Itachi dashed forward, hands blurring into a series of hand seals unrecognizable to the human eye. Naruto tensed, ready to dodge any attack the Uchiha might throw at him, while jumping back several feet.

Just as Naruto had somewhat predicted, a giant fireball – intense enough to melt diamonds – shot from Itachi's lips, aiming for him at an unbelievable speed.

Naruto rolled out of its way just in time to block an attack from Itachi with his kunai. The weapon was thrown out of his fingers and slid to a stop a few feet away from him, out of immediate reach. The blonde Jinchuuriki barely had the time to take a deep breath as he was already somersaulting out of the way of five shuriken thrown at him, and bending backwards to avoid another five.

'_Damnit! At this rate, I will be dead within ten minutes. If not, then exhausted at least'_ The boy thought, using the back of his hand to clean the sweat out of his neck.

'**No, you won't' **Rumbled a voice from deep within himself, rasping as if it had a dry throat. Naruto froze and was almost hit by a punch from Itachi. He promptly jumped back to avoid any immediate damage as he scowled.

'_What do you want?' _He asked, ducking to avoid a punch from Itachi as he jumped back yet again to escape the blur of punches and kicks that Itachi seemed to love to deliver.

'**Freedom, but I have a suspicion that you won't give me that. At least, though, allow me to defeat the Uchiha'**

'_Why don't you leave me alone? This is my fight'_

'**Ah, but it is not. You see, when you talk about you, you're referring to me as well, for I am inseparable of you for obvious reasons. And look out for that punch'** Naruto ducked to avoid the punch and then blocked the kick aimed at his head.

'_I don't need your help. I'm doing fine'_

'**No, you're getting exhausted with no fight at all. No more running, it is time for action'** Naruto avoided a well-aimed kick at his crotch and growled in frustration.

'_He's moving too fast. I can't keep up with his speed'_

'**Your human eyes are too weak to follow his movements. Allow me to lend you my power for a bit'** The demon wasted no time in listening to Naruto complaining and shot out a wave of chakra that traveled from Naruto's chakra pool all the way up to his eyes.

Naruto screamed in agony at the unexpected surge of pain that rushed through his eyes, washing them of their pure blue color and turning them into a demonic red with pupils like slits.

On the benches, Pain's gaze snapped back to Naruto as he tensed and leaned forward to better decipher what exactly was happening down at the training grounds. He vaguely noticed Deidara leaning forward as well, almost falling off of his bench. The boy jumped away from Itachi and screamed again, but the sound was more controlled, as if he was expecting the pain.

Now, if there was one thing Pain knew of was, well, _pain _and that scream... he shook his head. That scream was pure agony. Now, he had never been one for physical pain so he couldn't possibly understand what had set the boy off. He hadn't even been hit by Itachi yet. The boy dodged or blocked all of the Uchiha's attacks, so it couldn't be something caused by Itachi.

Even the Uchiha had stopped, uncertain as to why exactly was Naruto screaming and was poised in a weird way – half running to help Naruto and half defending from a possible attack. All of the other Akatsuki leaned forward with a glint of interest in their eyes.

Naruto's body started to convulse as he jumped back again, away from Itachi's reaching hand, and started to morph.

His skin was coated by a seemingly ethereal mass of red liquid and his neatly trimmed nails were sharpening by the second, turning more and more into claws. His teeth grew larger and sharper, specially his front teeth, which turned into true fangs, sharper than a wolf's.

The red liquid stretched and turned into a wiggling tail behind Naruto, as well as two long fox ears on top of his head.

The screaming stopped altogether and Naruto stood, head hung low with his messy hair falling to his face and hiding it from view. A tired chuckle resounded, driving chills down the Akatsuki members' spine.

Itachi stopped his mad run for the boy and jumped back, holding his kunai ready to defend himself.

"Eh... What do you know? I was able to do it" The boy in front of him chuckled, his face still shadowed by his hair.

Now the observers in the benches would – and did – think he was talking about the transformation itself. While that was partially truth, he was actually referring to how he had managed to control the fox's chakra before it consumed him and sent him into a four-tails transformation.

"Now, Itachi... Don't hold back" He lifted his head slowly, allowing his golden bangs to fall into their place, revealing a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and thickened whiskers. The mouth stretched into a grin "Our fight..."

He lifted his head suddenly, eyes opening to reveal the blood-colored irises. Itachi narrowed his eyes and tightened his stance as Tobi gasped dramatically and Hidan whistled appreciatively.

Pain remained silent; taking in all of the information he was being given.

"Begins now!" Naruto yelled, charging at Itachi with renewed strength. The Uchiha allowed himself a strict smirk as he readied his weapon to receive the blow.

As Naruto was about to strike Itachi with his claws – getting his hand chopped off in the process – he blurred out of existence, leaving a very confused Itachi in his wake. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes and focused whatever chakra he could expend in his eyes, activating the Sharingan.

Just as he was about to look for Naruto's chakra, he heard a gush of air wheeze past his ears and turned around, with his kunai ready. He was not fast enough, though, as Naruto suddenly disappeared again and reappeared to his side, delivering a powerful blow of his claws to his ribs that sent Itachi flying through the training grounds.

The Akatsuki – minus the Leader and Konan, obviously – were now fully into the battle and roared in appreciation of the blonde's attack. Roar threw his head back and let out a growl as a form of cheering.

Naruto allowed himself to smirk as he steadied himself by digging his claws into the ground beneath him and waited for Itachi to regain his balance. True enough, the dark-haired man rolled on the floor as soon as he hit it and jumped back to his feet, now smirking openly.

Without wasting any more time, the Uchiha's hands blurred into a frenzy of movement before settling into a tiger seal. Itachi arched his back and inhaled deeply, before expelling all the air he had in his lungs and directing it at Naruto.

The air promptly turned into a massive fireball that lunged at Naruto. The boy's eyes widened slightly in a fairly small display of fear but he readied himself, planting his feet on the ground and not moving an inch. His fingers flexed nervously. Itachi's eyes widened slightly at seeing the boy staying firm and not moving from the collision route.

His muscles tensed as he prepared to extinguish the fireball, should the need arise. The objective was testing the boy, not killing him and unleashing the Nine-tailed Fox.

However, Naruto had plans to stop the fireball or, at least, escape from it without being burned to a crisp. He accessed his chakra and sent some – normal chakra, not demonic one – into the air around him, concentrating it around his right hand area. The air compressed and bent to his will, taking shape and starting to produce an annoying loud whistling noise that had Hidan swearing loudly.

Itachi's eyes widened significantly as a sword started to take shape in the boy's hand, glowing slightly due to Naruto's inexperience with air molding. It was a fairly built sword, with a large blade that was even larger near the cross-guard.

Smiling to himself at succeeding to form a realistic sword, Naruto tightened his grip on the sword and got ready. The fireball was close. Two seconds more and it would be upon him. One second.

Naruto lifted the sword above his head and let out a feral yell as he made it descend. Itachi's eyes widened dramatically as the air blade cut through his fireball, forcing it to divide and passing around the boy while leaving him unharmed.

Naruto smiled for a second before he lifted his hand and opened it, allowing the air blade to dissolve. His smiled turned feral once more as he crossed his fingers.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He cried, creating six clones of himself, all posed just as he was and all with the same determined glint in their eyes.

Two of the clones stepped forward, gathering their chakra – or should he say, his – on their hands. Realizing what they were doing, Itachi gritted his teeth before running to them to attack.

Two of the remaining four clones stepped forward and, at a command from Naruto, invoked air swords, lunging at the Uchiha. Itachi kicked one of the clones and then turned to the other, expecting the one he had kicked to disappear. Naruto, however, had other ideas. He pushed more chakra into the clone and made him descend his blade against Itachi's shoulder.

The dark-haired Sharingan wielder, turned around in time to dodge the attack and counter with a kick to the crotch. After that particular blow, the clone fell to the ground moaning and disappeared in a puff of smoke. The real Naruto groaned in pain as he felt the clone's feelings and memories flood back into him.

Itachi quickly disarmed the other clone and annihilated it with a well-aimed punch at his neck. He whirled around as the Sharingan detected enormous amounts of chakra coming his way and jumped out of the way of a Rasengan aimed at his chest. The real Naruto crashed into the ground, sliding a few feet before he stopped, groaning in pain.

"I have the Sharingan. It detects chakra before I can feel it coming and it never fails" Itachi informed him, straightening his back and smirking in Naruto's direction. Naruto smirked back.

"You're so full of yourself, Wrinkles" He shot back, smiling at the enraged expression on Itachi's face.

Suddenly, there was an eerie silence, vaguely filled by whistling sound.

Itachi missed a heartbeat. Two clones launched themselves at him, one holding something in his hand. Itachi turned around, but not fast enough. A massive shuriken made of pure wind chakra slammed into his left arm.

"Wind Style: RASENSHURIKEN!" The Naruto clones shouted at the same time, pressing the disc of air chakra further into Itachi's arm.

The Uchiha let out a strangled cry as he fell to the ground, some unexpected tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. And then, the chakra shuriken dissolved and the clones puffed into inexistence.

Naruto jumped to his feet and dashed to the place where Itachi was still laying on the ground, clutching his arm in pain. He jumped the last feet, landing with one foot on Itachi's throat as a kunai caressed his chest.

He was about to boast about how he had won when he realized the damage he had done to Itachi's arm. The blonde boy's eyes widened and the One-Tail receded as he fell to his knees next to Itachi.

He turned his head and fixed his stare in the audience who was dead silent, watching him intently.

"Help" He rasped out, still in utter shock "He's hurt" He added, a bit louder. That got an instant reaction out of the audience.

Pain jumped out of his seat and swiftly jumped to where Naruto was kneeled next to Itachi, who was still writhing – but trying very hard not to – in agony as his arm was still being completely destroyed in the inside, followed quickly by Konan. Deidara's eyes widened and he stopped petting Roar. Hidan stared wide-eyes with his jaw hanging open as Kakuzu just stared impassively.

Tobi let out a squeal of anguish and leaned forward, almost falling down on his face – or mask, depending on how you saw it. Kisame's eyes widened impossibly as he gripped the hilt of Samehada until his knuckles turned white.

Overall, the members who were well acknowledged with Itachi's _invincibility_, were shocked beyond words that the ever-untouched Uchiha was sprawled on the ground clutching his arm as a worried demon vessel – the same one he had been sent to capture, no less – hovered over him, ignoring the inhuman effort that Konan was obviously making to pry him away from Itachi so that Pain could tend to his wounds.

All of the Akatsuki watched in mild awe at the sight of Konan practically dragging the remorseful boy away from the defeated Uchiha. Hidan recovered from his shocked state long enough to smirk and extend a hand to Kakuzu.

"You owe me money" He exclaimed triumphantly. Kakuzu growled but reluctantly reached for his pocket and pulled out a bag of money. He looked at it longingly before it was ripped from his hands by Hidan. The Jashin worshipper's smirk widened.

"It's a pleasure to bet against you"

"Bastard"

* * *

><p>Naruto was pacing wildly in front of the door that concealed the room in which Itachi was being healed by Pain. Konan was staring at him impassively as he ran a shaky hand through his unruly hair.<p>

"Talk to me" She finally said, hazel eyes pinning him in place as her inner self was hopping around, overjoyed that he had finally stopped pacing. Naruto threw her a miserable look.

"I didn't mean to hurt him" He finally choked out, closing his eyes. Konan almost winced at the remorseful tone in his voice. Instead, she remained calm and answered impassively.

"I know. I am sure that Pain will not be too severe in his punishment if there is any punishment at all" At seeing Naruto's confused look, Konan elaborated.

"Technically, you were being tested and therefore weren't an official member of Akatsuki yet. This could be seen as an attempt to assassinate our members from the inside" She held up a hand when Naruto opened his mouth to protest.

"However, even the blindest of us all can see that you didn't actually mean to hurt him. What brings me to my next question: why don't you want to hurt him?"

Naruto stopped moving all together, freezing in mid-gesture as he stared wide-eyed at the blue-haired girl in front of him. Konan began to wonder if he was actually breathing. A few minutes of silence dragged on between the two, interrupted only by the occasional grunts of pain coming from the room, which would cause Naruto to look at the door nervously.

After what seemed like an eternity, Naruto finally found his voice to answer.

"I don't know. It's really weird. I feel like I've known him for a long time and it's really easy to talk to him. I feel like we're becoming friends. Weird, uh?" He finished with a nervous chuckle and a fox-like smirk.

Konan allowed herself to display a small gentle smile at the young man's honest and innocent words. That boy had yet to see the world as it really was – dark and full of hatred and pain. For the boy, everything was orange... The boy himself was orange in every sense of the word. He was bright and optimistic. Konan didn't know what to do in the face of such innocence.

"It's not weird. Some people are born with bonds stronger than words can express and when they meet, it just kind of falls into place. Like soul mates." Naruto jumped back, startled.

"Isn't 'soul mate' a term used to describe romantic relationships? 'I'll never leave you, you're my everything!' and whatnot?" Naruto spat, edging away from Konoha, lest her be some sort of homosexual couples fangirl.

Konan's smirk broke into a full blown smile at the blonde's naivety.

"It doesn't always have to involve two romantically attracted people. Sometimes they are best friends. Others, just two people in need of support. It doesn't erase the fact that they were made for each other, though." Naruto nodded, deep in thought.

"You know, I was wondering..." He never got to finish that sentence, though, for the door was pushed open and the man with spiky orange hair and multiple piercings adorning his face stepped out, closing the door softly.

"He is asking for you" He said emotionlessly. Naruto swallowed nervously before nodding and pushing the door open. He threw one last worried glance at Konan before slipping into the room and closing the door.

The room was submersed in darkness, making it almost impossible for the blonde-haired Jinchuuriki to see anything. He closed his eyes and decided to rely in his sense of smell and hearing. Carefully, feeling things like a blind man, he made his way towards the bed in which Itachi was lying. That part of the room was actually a bit more illuminated and the blonde could see the faint outlines of Itachi's limp form, with his arm bandaged.

Shaking, he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Hey, Wrinkles" He chuckled nervously, feeling a bead of sweat run through his brow. Itachi turned his head slowly to look at the almost shaking boy.

"Hey" He croaked out, coughing to clear his throat. Naruto relaxed a little at the not-at-all-accusing voice and his body almost shook from relief.

"So, hmm..." He was cut off by a scoff from the man in the bed.

"I can't believe you actually won! I'm going to get back at you!" Itachi coughed out, cracking a small smile at the blonde Jinchuuriki. His smile, however, faded when the blonde man paled alarmingly and started getting a little bit greener.

"About that... I didn't actually mean to hurt you, you know?" Naruto said, so low that Itachi had to strain to hear.

"Uh... That wasn't a problem. I was going easy on you. Your attack did catch me off guard, though" Itachi replied, hoping to comfort the boy. Why the boy was so distressed was a complete mystery to him, though.

Naruto didn't feel reassured, but Itachi's words didn't sound accusing in the least, so he dropped the subject, shaking his head lightly to clear his thoughts.

"So... what did the big, bad leader say?"

"Nothing. Just to rest for a couple of days. And that you'll be my personal maid" Naruto's jaw dropped before he shouted in outrage.

"He said nothing of the sort!"

Itachi chuckled tiredly.

"Ok, so he didn't. So what?" Naruto scowled and folded his arms, putting a little.

"You're mean. I was actually going to believe you!"

"Well, you can be my maid if you want to. I'm pretty sure we can find you a pretty maid costume and all..." The Uchiha trailed off, choosing to laugh/cough his ass off at the look of pure outrage in Naruto's eyes.

The Uzumaki narrowed his eyes.

"And to think I was actually dead worried about you!" He huffed, turning his head to the side childishly. Itachi, however, got deadly quiet. Naruto's curious look turned upon him and he took a more serious expression.

"What?"

"You were dead worried about me? Why?" Itachi finally croaked out.

"I don't know. Konan said some things, though, but I don't think-" He was cut off by Konan opening the door.

"You must leave, Naruto. It is late already and we're planning something for tomorrow. Our leader's orders are to get as much rest as possible" The blue-haired woman didn't seem in the mood to negotiate and just stared impassively at Naruto until the Kyuubi vessel grudgingly got up and marched out of the room.

The door closed and Itachi was, once more, alone in the dark.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, so I'm not really satisfied with the chapter. Might come back and change it, later (if I fell like it). So, we didn't have much NaruDei in this chapter but something big is coming up. <strong>

**Read and Review.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for the reviews. You people are great. Don't feel like you have to review, though. The story is not going to stop because of a hissy fit I might throw if I don't get reviews. _

**And just to clear things up, this is not ItaNaru. Itachi is in no way in love or thinking of a romantic relationship with Naruto. Their relationship, however, will be addressed in this and future chapters as something exotic, strange and deeply awkward. **

**You'll just have to keep reading to find out exactly what happened and how it happened. **

**Recap:**

"_You must leave, Naruto. It is late already and we're planning something for tomorrow. Our leader's orders are to get as much rest as possible" The blue-haired woman didn't seem in the mood to negotiate and just stared impassively at Naruto until the Kyuubi vessel grudgingly got up and marched out of the room._

_The door closed and Itachi was, once more, alone in the dark._

_**Chapter IV (Confessions With A Taste Of Clay)**_

In that night, Naruto tossed and turned in bed. He just couldn't find the right position to fall asleep. The sheets were too wrinkly, the bed was too hot and the burning guilt of having injured Itachi was hitting him full force. All considered, his day was sucking... pretty bad.

He groaned as he turned around one more time. It was a good thing that they had given him a room of his own. When he had first arrived he had figured that they would make him share the room with another member until he was proven trustworthy, but he had received a room right away, no doubt as a proof of trust.

Or maybe they just felt like randomly giving away fully decorated rooms. Nah, it's probably a token of trust.

Before he knew what had hit him, he was dozing off, falling still and silent, the only sign of life being the soft rise and fall of his chest as he breathed in and out.

* * *

><p>"<em>Naruto..."<em>

"_**Who are you?"**_

"_Naruto..." _The disembodied voice called again. It was... strangely familiar. It was deep and veiled, like it was hiding some sort of emotion. It was, at the same time, silky and rough on the edges.

"_**Show yourself!"**_

"_You already know where I am. You already know who I am. I am a part of you... Remember... I am a part of you..."_ And then, just as fast as the dream had wormed its way into Naruto's sleep, it disappeared, disintegrating into much more pleasant dreams.

* * *

><p>"You know, I really don't see the need to be escorted from my room to the dining room just to have breakfast" A sleep-deprived Naruto grunted, keeping an edge of annoyance to his voice.<p>

The man following by his side shot him an amused look.

"You sound like you haven't slept at all. Had a bad dream?" The man chuckled at the dark glare he received from the blue-eyed demon vessel.

"Shut up. I can't even remember what I dreamt" He snarled uncharacteristically, earning a concerned glance from his companion.

"Well, make sure you get enough sleep, ok?" The man asked, inserting a half-assed joking tone into his demand.

"Yes mom" Naruto snorted "But really, Itachi, why do I have to be escorted? I can find the dining hall all by myself. And you're still recovering from injuries." His voice lost its annoyed inflexion when he mentioned the injuries he had caused.

"My injuries weren't all that bad. I still have missions to complete"

"Not that bad?" Naruto exclaimed "I practically destroyed your arm!"

"Correction. You severed my arm from my shoulder. It was something that Kakuzu could easily solve" Itachi corrected, focusing on his feet.

"He solved... You know what? I don't actually want to know... But seriously... explain the whole escorting thing"

"It was a request from some of the other members that you be watched at all times. Pain was willing to trust you for some reason only he knows but the request from the members cannot be ignored. Therefore, we have been assigned to guard you" Itachi explained. The blue-eyed Jinchuuriki frowned.

"Why did they want me to be watched?"

"Because of my injuries and the sheer fact that they don't like your face"

"Oh... Why you? Why did they assign you to watch me if I'm the one who hurt you?"

"I volunteered" Was the simple answer as the black-haired man continue to walk forward, a clear sign that the conversation was over. It was getting dangerously close to the line of no return that neither men wanted to cross. Some weird shit was going on between the two, a connection of sorts that was getting creepier and stronger by the day.

"Oh" Was Naruto's smart answer.

He quickly decided that five minutes of not talking was driving him insane. He was beginning to seriously consider faking a heart attack just to test Itachi's reaction or to get a reaction at all but decided against it. They didn't trust him already. Faking a heart attack would only bring more suspicion upon him. He decided to ask something, though.

"Uh... Itachi...?" He asked timidly, risking a glance at the genocidal Uchiha. Itachi sighed deeply.

"Do you _really_ have to talk?" He complained, sounding more amused than annoyed.

"Yes. Yes I do."

"... Go on..."

"I was wondering. Who was assigned to watch me?"

"I was. Plus, Hidan, Kakuzu, Konan, Deidara, Kisame and Tobi are going to take turns watching you whenever I can't or just don't feel like it" Was the brief answer.

"What about Leader?"

"He has better things to do than watch you, Ninetails"

"Eat it, Wrinkles" Itachi didn't miss a beat.

"No thanks, I'm straight."

"No one would have guessed it Wrinkles. I mean, you _do_ wear nail polish" Itachi looked enraged for a moment before stopping and sighing.

"We're here. Now let's get some breakfast before I decide to break your neck"

"Yeah, right. Like you could do that" In less than a millisecond, Itachi was in his face, eyes narrowed and glinting evilly and mouth set in a frown.

"You doubt I could?" The blonde's eyes widened and he gulped loudly before chuckling nervously as Itachi put some distance between them.

"Eh, eh... I don't doubt you. At all" He quickly responded, waving his hands in front of him like a maniac.

"Will you two quit your pussy-ass old-couple bickering? We're trying to have breakfast in here!" Came the annoyed voice of one well-known Jashinist from the dining hall. Itachi and Naruto stared at each other for a full second before jumping away from each other simultaneously.

They then proceeded to walk into the dining hall with whatever was left of their dignity.

The rest of the Akatsuki was already there, sitting at the table and staring at the two males and snickering. The only one not snickering was Kisame. Kisame was outright laughing. Of course, all of that stopped when Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan began spinning wildly.

The Uchiha sent everyone a cold glare before occupying his seat to the right of Kisame and leaving Naruto standing in front of the table, suddenly remembering that he hadn't eaten for two days. One of which had been an intensive battle. His stomach roared loudly.

He looked around for a place to sit and found one... right next to Deidara. The blonde artist, who had been previously occupied with making little sculptures out of bread, stared at him blankly.

"You know, you can sit" He gestured to the empty chair between him and Tobi "I don't bite"

Nodding, Naruto forced his body to comply and moved to sit next to Deidara. That simple act seemed to break the tension in the room and suddenly everyone resumed their previous activities – Hidan praying, Kakuzu making a tower with one cent coins, Konan folding paper, Pain reading a scroll, Kisame chatting animatedly to anyone who would care to listen and Tobi doing... well, whatever he was doing.

"Much" He froze when he heard Deidara whisper next to him. The blue-eyed demon vessel turned to Deidara, wide-eyed. The artist was chuckling to himself as he continued to sculpt a bird out of bread.

Sighing heavily for what seemed like the hundredth time in the morning, Naruto turned back around and began to eat his breakfast.

* * *

><p>"Stop staring"<p>

"..."

"Seriously, stop staring"

"..."

"Please don't make me kick you where you don't want to be kicked"

"..."

"I really hate you right now, you know?"

"..."

"Ok, I'll hurt you"

"..."

"Badly"

"... Fine. I'll turn around"

"Do you really have to watch me here? It's a windowless bathroom. Where the hell do you want me to escape through?"

"I thought you really had to take a piss"

"Turn around"

"I already did that"

"Now close your eyes"

"Oh come on! Stop being such a pussy! We're all straight here, ok?"

"I highly doubt it, Blue Balls"

"Shut up, Ninetails"

If you're wondering what in Jashin's name is going on here, it is a quite simple picture. Naruto and Itachi had another bickering round and Itachi lost. So, to maintain some of his pride, the Uchiha had decided he had important studies to catch up to so someone else had to watch Naruto. Of course, the second person in line was Kisame. And now Naruto was being watched as he 'did his business' in the bathroom.

"Ok, I'm done" Naruto stated as he pulled the zipper in his pants up. Kisame turned back around and rolled his eyes.

"Are you really that small that you have to hide from other people?"

"I was saving you the shame of having to admit you're more of a woman than a man" Kisame laughed whole-heartedly as the duo exited the bathroom.

"Yeah, right. Like that was possible"

The two glared at each other for a full minute before they were – rather rudely, I must say – interrupted by a snicker and a surprised cough. In front of them stood a smirking Deidara and a gaping Tobi. Well, Naruto thought he was gaping; it was a bit difficult to see with the mask, but the boy – no, _man_ – seemed a bit off, so the blonde assumed him to be gaping.

"Oh, how cute, un" The older blonde exclaimed sarcastically "I should know you had something going on. You _are_ always together, after all"

Naruto sent him a murderous look and was about to jump at the other boy's throat when he heard a whimper and a blur of tan gray-ish white assaulted him and knocked him to the floor, before setting itself on top of his chest.

The thing let out an amiable growl, before Naruto felt something sticky licking his cheek.

Naruto groaned loudly as he realized he had forgotten about Roar. The young-but-oh-so-big dragon let out a happy sound and looked at his master, extending his wings to their full extent and flapping them a few times.

"Hey, Roar" The fox Jinchuuriki greeted, lifting one hand to pet the clay dragon.

"Yes, you're totally gay" Deidara barked, in between laughs, whereas Tobi just stared.

"And if I was?" Naruto shot back, hoping to corner his fellow blonde. The clay artist sent him a mighty glare.

"I don't discriminate, man" He growled, as Roar looked from one blonde to the other, in hopes of getting a half-logical answer to his confusion.

Naruto groaned.

"Get off me, Roar. You're crushing me" He ordered, though it sounded more like a pitiful whimper then a firm command.

It didn't matter, though, as the clay beast leapt from his master's chest and landed gracefully by his side, chirping happily.

"What's got _you_ in this awfully happy mood?" The younger blonde half growled to the horse-sized clay dragon. The dragon just stared at him with mirth-filled eyes.

"Well, good for you. I, for one, have been having a shitty week" The fox Jinchuuriki replied, as if the dragon had actually answered him.

Master and pet stared at each other for a second, before the dragon yipped and turned to look at the other three men in the hallway. And what an amazing sight, one could say. A tall shark-man who was staring wide-eyed and with his jaw on the floor at the display in front of him, a long-haired blonde who was sporting the most perfect poker face Naruto had ever seen, and a masked idiot who was slightly bouncing.

"What?" Naruto asked, feeling rather defensive, as all three men shook themselves awake from their stupor.

"Guess what, Naruto? Leader as requested your presence in his office" Tobi decided to say, bouncing higher. Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"Uh... Does he mind if I eat first? It's almost lunch time" Deidara sighed heavily.

"He means 'get your ass in my office right now or I'll kill you'" The blonde translated, turning to leave.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Naruto yelled after him. The other blonde didn't even bother to turn around.

"I'm going to my studio. Don't bother me. That applies to you too, Tobi!" The masked idiot whined pathetically and set off after his sempai.

Kisame turned to Naruto, with a sulking expression.

"Well, we better get to Pain's office before he throws a fit" He grunted, to which Naruto just shrugged and started to head down the hallway, in the direction of Pain's office.

* * *

><p>"I'm glad you could join me"<p>

"Forgive us, Leader"

"I hope this does not become a habit"

"It won't, Leader"

"Why do I have a feeling that we'll be having this conversation a lot more times?"

Naruto seriously thought his head would explode from all the formalities required to apologize for arriving five minutes late.

"It won't happen again, Leader" He said once again.

Pain remained silent for a while, Rinnegan eyes slowly analyzing the duo in front of him. He must've reached a satisfying conclusion, because the orange-headed leader of the fearsome organization closed his eyes and heaved a sigh.

"Very well. We have more important matters to discuss. Naruto Uzumaki" Naruto snapped back to attention, looking at his leader in the eyes "What is your knowledge of your parentage?"

The question confused both Kisame and Naruto. The big shark-man opened his mouth as if to speak, but decided against it, while the orange-clad Jinchuuriki just stared at Pain confusedly.

"None" He replied, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

The leader of the Akatsuki closed his eyes, and let out a sigh that indicated that he was expecting an answer of the sort.

'**Uh, oh... Here comes the big revelation...'** Said a voice from deep within Naruto. The boy was instantly alerted to the fact that Kyuubi was awake and listening to the conversation being held outside his cage.

'_What big revelation, fox?'_ He demanded to know. However, the fox only laughed and remained silent, deaf to her vessel's pleas.

"Naruto?" He heard the familiar deep voice of the Leader call him out of his one-sided conversation with the Kyuubi.

"Yes?" He blinked rapidly, quickly becoming aware of his surroundings. He let out a girly screech at finding himself suddenly by Itachi's side. The genocidal Uchiha sent him a confused look.

"What are you doing here?" Screeched the completely humiliated Jinchuuriki.

"What do you mean? I've been standing here for the past five minutes! You're the one who was staring off into space and ignoring us!" Itachi complained, keeping his voice low just so he could maintain his composure.

Naruto sent him an offended look.

"I wasn't ignoring you, Wrinkles! I was... talking with the fox" This caught the three Akatsuki members' attention immediately.

"You were talking with the fox?" Itachi double-checked. Kisame whistled. Pain just stared, wide-eyed.

"What did he say?"

"Something about a 'big revelation' or something" He completely missed the way that Pain drew a large and sharp breath.

"Actually" He began, drawing everyone's attention to him "That is probably the reason why I called you all here".

A long silence ensued.

"I guess I's best if stop dancing around the subject at hand and just say what I'm about to say" Needless to say, all of the Akatsuki members were surprised at the lack of formality used by their leader. All eyes narrowed in suspicion as Pain eyed them.

"The only reason why I called you all here is because you two seem to be the closest to Naruto and although I can't understand why or how you're so close to him, I decided that it would be best for you two to know before anyone else does" He explained curtly, clearly impatient to talk about... whatever he was going to talk about.

Itachi and Kisame nodded uncertainly.

"I shall begin at the beginning of this story. You see, I wasn't always the leader of a fearsome organization like the Akatsuki. I lived in a far away land, called the Village Hidden in the Rain. Maybe you've heard of it" Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, Pervy Sage told me something about it. He said he had fought some sort of war there."

"Many wars were fought in our land. As you may know, our land is the one that shares borders with every country, so their wars were fought in our country and most of the population there was made up of war refugees" He got a dreamy look in his Rinnegan eyes, as if he was reminiscing.

"I lived near the Hidden Village, in a small house with my parents. We were... happy, in some sort of way. My parents had yet to leave our house, as had been ordered by our leader Hanzo, so he could fight his war against Konoha. One night, we heard someone breaking into our house – Konoha shinobi" His eyes portrayed bitterness so great that Naruto had to fight the urge to hug his knees.

"They were searching for food and weapons. We tried to sneak out – after all, we weren't fighters – but I accidentally broke a vase my mother always had near the front door. They heard us and my father stepped forward in a futile attempt to slow them down, so my mother and I could escape. However, the Konoha shinobi were Jounin, so my father was quickly... disposed off"

The blonde boy listening to the story gulped somewhat loudly, but Pain didn't seem to care.

"The shinobi then turned to my mother and now that I look back, I am thankful that all they did was kill her quickly and painlessly. When they looked at me, they realized their mistake. I was just a kid, petrified by fear. Lightning allowed me to see what would become engraved in my mind forever – the Konoha hitai-ate. I was furious. How dare they break into my house – a house of innocents – and kill my parents? And they had the nerve of apologizing, saying that it was all a misunderstanding"

"So I felt something within me. Something powerful. I had awakened the Rinnegan and I used it to kill the shinobi"

Naruto was speechless. Honestly, there wasn't much one could say in this situation. And so Pain continued.

"I buried my parents and gave them a small funeral and then set off to the Hidden Village. Along the way, I asked some people for food. There was one in particular that would later become of importance. One man said that they didn't have food for themselves, let alone some homeless kid. I thanked them all the same, even thought that was my last stop and I wouldn't be able to ask for food anywhere else"

"When I walked away, however, I happened to look into their house, through a window. I saw a basket of bread, big enough to feed me and them for the next week. I was enraged, but I was shy and said nothing. Somewhere along my way to the Hidden Village, I passed out. I would've died there if a young pup hadn't licked me in the face, awakening me and giving me strength."

"I named the dog Chibi and, from that day on, he was my faithful companion. The rest of the days are blurry for I was starving and my memory failed me. I remember passing out. This time, not even Chibi could help me. The one to wake me up, though, was a blue haired girl, who offered me a piece of bread. I thanked her and even though I was starving, I shared that meal with Chibi"

"She brought us back to the place where she and her companion lived. It was a cave, filled with boxes upon boxes of food. There was a boy with spiky orange hair there named Yahiko. He told me they stole to survive. I refused to do it but then I remembered that guy who refused to share with me and I felt hatred. I accepted their offer."

"From that day on, we became the best of friends. We stole together and lived together. Eventually, we came to a place where we found your Legendary Sannin fighting Danzo."

"You found Granny Tsunade, Pervy Sage and that creep Orochimaru?" Naruto interrupted. The whole room went silent and every shinobi there eyed him – Itachi rose his eyebrow, mind you.

"What?"

"Anyway... We followed them and begged them to teach us Jutsu. I think the only reason Jiraiya-sensei agreed was because of my Rinnegan..."

"Wow... wait just a second there... you were trained by Pervy Sage?" Naruto – once more – interrupted.

"You shouldn't call him that, Ninetails... The Toad Sage is one of the most powerful shinobi ever seen. Remember he taught the Fourth Hokage and, apparently, our Leader" Itachi chastised.

"But he's a pervert! Ok, so he taught me and everything, but come on! He was always sneaking out to 'have some fun' as he put it! And he used my money too!" The boy protested loudly "You didn't know him, Wrinkles!"

"Didn't he teach you well?" The Uchiha countered.

"Well, yeah! He taught me the Rasengan in five days and we were beginning to train with Elemental Affinity. I finished my training with Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-taicho."

"Then there you have it. Be more respectful, Ninetails"

"What are you, my mother?" Itachi didn't reply, instead focusing on his leader. Pain shook his head.

"As I was saying, we were trained by Jiraiya-sensei. We quickly excelled at all the ninja arts – mainly because of my Rinnegan. Soon after, I killed my first man willingly. He was about to deal the final blow to Yahiko when I used the Rinnegan to kill him. I was shocked. Jiraiya-sensei was the one to teach me that killing was the way of the shinobi. We killed to protect the ones we loved"

"But Jiraiya-sensei left and we were left alone. It was then that Yahiko came up with the idea of creating an organization of the most powerful shinobi we could find. We called ourselves the Akatsuki. So, you see, we weren't always S-Class criminals"

"One day, even though we had made a peace treaty with Hanzo, he decided to fight us three alone. Or so we thought. The truth is, he had the support of Konoha, of a man named Danzo. Danzo and his ROOT shinobi were hiding so we couldn't sense them. Somehow, Hanzo managed to capture Konan and he gave me two choices."

"Either I killed Yahiko, my best friend, or he killed Konan. I picked up the kunai he had thrown at my feet and held it, fighting against myself. Yahiko was screaming at me to kill him, that Konan's life was more important than his. I turned to him but, when I did it, he ran at me and impaled himself with the kunai I was holding"

"That's horrible" Naruto whispered.

"I was furious. I teleported to the top of the cliff where Hanzo held Konan and saved her, though my legs were badly injured. I was blinded by hatred and pain, and so I used a Justu that only Rinnegan users can perform. I invoked a statue and surrendered my body to a power capable of destroying those shinobi. I killed most of them and the rest fled, but my body was partially destroyed."

"It was then that I decided to create the 'Six Paths of Pain', named after the great pain that I felt. For the first body, I used Yahiko's body. The one you see before you"

All three shinobi tensed, now seeing the resemblance between the Pain that they saw and the boy that Nagato had described.

"I created all six of the paths and then conquered the Village Hidden in the Rain, killing Hanzo. I understood that I had to create peace. However, peace cannot be achieved while there are still shinobi out there, willing to fight. So, my goal is to create an organization that will show pain to other people, so that they will lay down their weapons and live peacefully"

He seemed to have finished his speech by then, as he fell silent.

"Wait! Didn't you say this had something to do with my parentage?"

"You are observant. I did, indeed. Well, the truth is, I had a little sister, named Kushina, who was taken from our family by some shinobi. Her whereabouts were unknown and eventually my family gave up searching for her, resorting to praying that she came back to us. Her name was Kushina and, next thing we knew, she was getting married to Konoha's Fourth Hokage"

"Wow! You're sister was the Fourth's wife? Amazing!" He shrank back at the clod glare Pian sent him "Oh, right. Forgot you hated Konoha. Sorry..."

"Yes, my sister married the Fourth Hokage. Soon after, she died during the Kyuubi's attack after giving birth to her only son"

"Wow. You're the uncle of the Fourth's son... I wonder who that is... And, by the way, you never told us your name. Your real name" Itachi turned to Naruto to scold him, but Pain seemed willing to answer.

"My name in that time was different. It was my given name. You're about to hear something that no one else – save for Konan – knows. Do you swear to keep it a secret?"

The blond Jinchuuriki nodded nervously.

"My name is Nagato Uzumaki"

Silence. And then...

"I don't get it. Why is everyone staring at me like that?" Naruto chuckled nervously. Pain sighed. Itachi closed his eyes in annoyance and Kisame facepalmed.

"If my name is Nagato Uzumaki, then my sister's name was Kushina Uzumaki. She gave birth to her only son, so his last name was 'Uzumaki' and the only Uzumaki in the Leaf Village is..." He left the phrase hanging.

"Me" Naruto completed quietly, for once understanding completely " My father sealed the Kyuubi in me, my mother died giving birth to me and you're my uncle. Do I have everything right?"

Pain only nodded.

"Wow... That's... that's a lot to take in... I... wow..."

"I always knew you were dumb but I never thought it was beyond your scope to speak properly, Ninetails" Itachi commented. Naruto glared at him.

"Shut up, Wrinkles!"

The two men growled at each other before Pain interrupted with a delicate cough. Kisame was still in shock.

"I want you three, especially you, Naruto, to see my real body. You see these stairs behind me? Smear some of your blood on the door and it will open. On top of the stairs you will find my body"

* * *

><p>"So, do you think that our mission will get more difficult now that the boy has found his parentage?"<p>

"Not at all... Now be gone... I have a mission to complete"

"What about the blonde boy? Will he be any trouble? What if the Jinchuuriki begins to grow attached to the boy? Wouldn't that be a problem?"

"There is nothing that a little bit of pain doesn't solve. There isn't a bond that can't be broken"

"You're wrong" The voice – until then friendly – was grave now "There are bonds that can't be broken. The Uchiha can become a problem... Soulmates can't be torn apart"

There was a sigh of irritation.

"Just go. I'll deal with it myself. You forget that I've dealt with this before"

There was a long silence before the first voice spoke again.

"That's the problem. I'm not sure if killing your soulmate was the best of options. You shouldn't have done it. What if the madness comes again when you're executing this mission?"

"You forget that this is a game to me. I always win"

"... Ok... but be careful. If you don't complete the mission, the boss will be less than... satisfied"

"Just go before I eat your heart like I did with _her_..."

And one of the figures disappeared.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, so it was a mysterious ending. And yes, I've played the 'Pain is an Uzumaki' card. Deal with it. Anyways, this chapter didn't come out quite right. I'm not particularly satisfied with it, but oh, well...<strong>

**Might go back and re-write it.**

**Just to make this absolutely clear: ****Itachi is not going to be getting romantically involved with Naruto!**

**Oh, and a so little NaruDei in this chapter :( The next chapter is going to focus more on their relationship, I promise! Actually, it's going to focus in two very different relationships: Itachi's and Deidara's. Also, the mystery of 'What the heck are soulmates' is going to be solved in a near chapter!**

**R&R**


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